Ficlet because I'm procrastinating
It's... very cold outside. Extremely cold outside. "Feels like -1F" when I left house this morning cold. *pouts* It shouldn't be this cold this early in December. It was 70 last month, too! Stupid bipolar midwest weather... It dumped a bunch of snow on us on Saturday, too. It's like it's winter or something. >.<
Also, gah, finals next week. Though my portfolio for drawing, a 50% of your grade programing project, and my Japanese oral exam are all this week. I need to stop procrastinating and finish them all...
Screw it, procrastinating. Here's a short piece I wrote awhile ago, provided for the entertainment of a certain special someone who I have missed very much. ^_^ If my crack OTP (Cao Pi/Lu Xun) is too morally questionable for you, don't click the cut. ^_^
----Rebellion----
Every day spent studying… every moment spent under the tutelage of Zhou Yu and Lu Meng… every ounce of talent he’d been told since he was a child he possessed… The moment he need them the most, they had failed him. He was staring at what would soon become the greatest defeat of his life… and most likely his last.
“Do you regret it?”
No need to ask what “it” was. Someday, historians would speak of it as a fall from grace, of young talent snuffed out by the greatest of mistakes: rebellion. Of a young Prime Minister who chose a path of disloyalty. Lu Xun considered all this, then shook his head.
“No, none of it.” Lu Xun looked out the window and over the castle walls. He could make out the battle raging just beyond them, could see the Wu army pushing ever closer to the gates.
He turned to face Cao Pi. The older man’s expression was almost unreadable, but Lu Xun swore he could see the smallest hint of regret in it.
“I was sure we would win.” There was a slight hesitation in this phrase as if Cao Pi wasn’t sure whether it was comforting or unsettling.
“I was too,” Lu Xun looked down at the floor.
Cao Pi looked at Lu Xun silently, the boy’s pained expression cutting more deeply than he felt he should have let it. After a moment he looked away, leaning on the table before him and rubbing his forehead. His eyes glanced over the reports scattered across it; all of them were bad.
“Even without you, Wu is stronger than I thought they would be.”
Lu Xun gave a small murmur of agreement, unsure of whether he should be glad of this or not. They were his friends, after all, even if he was fighting against them. “They’ve always been strong. No matter who we lost, they were strong…”
“Boyan.” Lu Xun looked up as Cao Pi took a few steps toward him.
“If you had known it would end like this, would you have still come with me?”
Lu Xun looked at him, startled by the sudden question. “I… Yes, I would have.” A pause. “I made my choice. My answer never would have changed.”
“Even if it now leads you to certain death?”
“Yes,” his voice was unsteady now, “Even if I die because of it.”
“Why?” Cao Pi’s question came as barely a whisper, but it pierced the room as strongly as if it had been shouted.
“If I had said no… If I’d left you that night; turned you in for treason or just let you leave alone… I would have lost you forever. And I’m not sure I could live with that.” He walked over to Cao Pi. The former prince put his arms around Lu Xun’s waist as the young strategist leaned against him for support. “I love you. That’s why, in spite of everything, I never would have said no, even when I knew I should have.” He blinked back the tears welling up in his eyes. “That’s why I don’t regret it now.”
“I always found it a bit foolish to die for love.”
“I don’t,” Lu Xun closed his eyes, giving a grim smile. “I did my best. That’s all I could have wanted. And if this will be the end…” He paused and took a breath. “Then so be it. It wasn’t meant to be.”
They remained like that for a moment, Lu Xun having nothing more to say and Cao Pi unsure of what to say. Finally, Lu Xun broke out of Cao Pi’s hold and walked over to the window.
“Whatever happens… it will be fine. I won’t give up, but…” Lu Xun looked out over the battlefield below them, “I’m prepared for whatever happens.” He smiled, "I'm not facing it alone."
"No," Cao Pi managed a small smile, "You aren't."
Also, gah, finals next week. Though my portfolio for drawing, a 50% of your grade programing project, and my Japanese oral exam are all this week. I need to stop procrastinating and finish them all...
Screw it, procrastinating. Here's a short piece I wrote awhile ago, provided for the entertainment of a certain special someone who I have missed very much. ^_^ If my crack OTP (Cao Pi/Lu Xun) is too morally questionable for you, don't click the cut. ^_^
----Rebellion----
Every day spent studying… every moment spent under the tutelage of Zhou Yu and Lu Meng… every ounce of talent he’d been told since he was a child he possessed… The moment he need them the most, they had failed him. He was staring at what would soon become the greatest defeat of his life… and most likely his last.
“Do you regret it?”
No need to ask what “it” was. Someday, historians would speak of it as a fall from grace, of young talent snuffed out by the greatest of mistakes: rebellion. Of a young Prime Minister who chose a path of disloyalty. Lu Xun considered all this, then shook his head.
“No, none of it.” Lu Xun looked out the window and over the castle walls. He could make out the battle raging just beyond them, could see the Wu army pushing ever closer to the gates.
He turned to face Cao Pi. The older man’s expression was almost unreadable, but Lu Xun swore he could see the smallest hint of regret in it.
“I was sure we would win.” There was a slight hesitation in this phrase as if Cao Pi wasn’t sure whether it was comforting or unsettling.
“I was too,” Lu Xun looked down at the floor.
Cao Pi looked at Lu Xun silently, the boy’s pained expression cutting more deeply than he felt he should have let it. After a moment he looked away, leaning on the table before him and rubbing his forehead. His eyes glanced over the reports scattered across it; all of them were bad.
“Even without you, Wu is stronger than I thought they would be.”
Lu Xun gave a small murmur of agreement, unsure of whether he should be glad of this or not. They were his friends, after all, even if he was fighting against them. “They’ve always been strong. No matter who we lost, they were strong…”
“Boyan.” Lu Xun looked up as Cao Pi took a few steps toward him.
“If you had known it would end like this, would you have still come with me?”
Lu Xun looked at him, startled by the sudden question. “I… Yes, I would have.” A pause. “I made my choice. My answer never would have changed.”
“Even if it now leads you to certain death?”
“Yes,” his voice was unsteady now, “Even if I die because of it.”
“Why?” Cao Pi’s question came as barely a whisper, but it pierced the room as strongly as if it had been shouted.
“If I had said no… If I’d left you that night; turned you in for treason or just let you leave alone… I would have lost you forever. And I’m not sure I could live with that.” He walked over to Cao Pi. The former prince put his arms around Lu Xun’s waist as the young strategist leaned against him for support. “I love you. That’s why, in spite of everything, I never would have said no, even when I knew I should have.” He blinked back the tears welling up in his eyes. “That’s why I don’t regret it now.”
“I always found it a bit foolish to die for love.”
“I don’t,” Lu Xun closed his eyes, giving a grim smile. “I did my best. That’s all I could have wanted. And if this will be the end…” He paused and took a breath. “Then so be it. It wasn’t meant to be.”
They remained like that for a moment, Lu Xun having nothing more to say and Cao Pi unsure of what to say. Finally, Lu Xun broke out of Cao Pi’s hold and walked over to the window.
“Whatever happens… it will be fine. I won’t give up, but…” Lu Xun looked out over the battlefield below them, “I’m prepared for whatever happens.” He smiled, "I'm not facing it alone."
"No," Cao Pi managed a small smile, "You aren't."